Chapter 04
Deathsung-! Derke-!Deathsung-! Derke-!
◆ Successful Communication List ◆
[Derke (Lv.201) - Blind Faith Relationship]
"??!!"
I was momentarily frozen as I checked the list.
The contents were different from before.
Moreover, Derke's name had been added to the list.
Although the system window had mentioned taming the unknown entity, but seeing it added to the list like this made me realize it.
In other words, it meant that as an ordinary human, I had tamed a dragon.
I guess they don't call me Breeder for nothing.
'What's this ridiculously high level anyway, and what's with the 'blind faith' relationship?'
Encountering these unfamiliar numerical values and relationship indicators left me full of questions.
Was a relationship of blind faith formed just because I gave her some cookies?
Before, the best I could achieve was only a Favorable relationship. Of course, the opposite boundary relationship also existed.
I didn't get along with the rooster that was the main attraction in the barn.
Apparently, there are more levels of affinity with objects.
[New affinity level chart confirmed.]
[Would you like to see the complete affinity level chart?]
A complete affinity level chart? That was a message I hadn't seen before. Perhaps unlocking the S-rank in Beast Taming had unleashed some additional features.
The sudden notifications left me feeling disoriented.
I didn't know where to start or what to focus on.
The encounter with Derke was like a storm, leaving me overwhelmed.
As the entrance ceremony approached, it seemed like the frozen hands of fate were starting to move again, bringing about challenging changes one after another.
'Show me.'
In my mind, I accepted the guidance of the system window. Though I didn't understand everything that was happening, even the smallest piece of information was valuable to me now.
I didn't know if I would need to adapt and survive from tomorrow onwards.
◆ Affinity Level Chart ◆
[(Hostile) ??? ← ??? ← Guarded ← Neutral → Favorable → Blind Faith→ ??? (Friendly)]
[Stages marked with '???' will be unlocked upon achievement.]
A simple and clear chart appeared before me.
To the left of "Neutral," it showed hostile relationships, and to the right, friendly relationships.
Currently, Derke and I were in a Blind Faith relationship.
As the word "Blind Faith" implied, it was a very friendly relationship. Perhaps when the affinity level was maxed out, I would see the final Friendly relationship.
Conversely, if things turned sour, I might see the Hostile relationship levels.
But I had no intention of provoking a dragon, especially a Death Dragon.
"Breeder Oppa! Derke ate all the cookies-!"
"Huh? You finished them already?"
Just as I was pondering various things, Derke's lively voice reached me. Thanks to devouring all the cookies, she seemed to have quickly regained her energy.
Perhaps Derke's affinity increased so much because of the cookies? Different characters often have different preferences for affinity-boosting items.
Thinking about making cookies might have been a stroke of luck after all.
"These cookies are so delicious-! Did you make them yourself, Breeder Oppa-?!"
Derke's emerald eyes sparkled like stars as she asked, continually nodding her head as she examined my face. Her demeanor seemed far removed from that of a fearsome dragon.
Anyway, her eyes were so lively now compared to how gloomy she seemed from hunger just a moment ago.
"I guess they must be tasty after all the time I spent making them," I wanted to say, but in reality...
"Yeah, they were just some ordinary cookies, but I'm glad you liked them."
I tried to hide my true feelings, smiling as warmly as possible to hopefully keep Derke's affinity high.
"Yeah-! They're overwhelmingly delicious-! Thank you so much, Breeder Oppa-!"
Derke expressed her satisfaction with a radiant smile, clinging tightly to my side.
It was just a simple cookie made with flour, eggs, milk, salt, and sugar, yet she seemed to enjoy it so much. Seeing Derke genuinely pleased made me feel proud.
On the other hand, she was practically glued to my back...
On the contrary, Derke was practically clinging to my back...
"By the way, Derke? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Breeder Oppa who kindly gave me delicious cookies, you can ask me anything, Death!"
Perhaps it was because I forcibly bestowed her with cookies, but Derke vigorously nodded her head. The Death Dragon, Derke, seemed to permit my question.
"Um, are you... 201 years old?"
"Whoa-?! How did you know my age...?!"
"Oh, I don't know, it just seemed like that would be about your age."
"Wow-! You're surprisingly perceptive for a human, Derke is impressed-!"
As expected. The levels in the successful communion list represented the age of the subject. The Mu next to the level must signify attributes.
'I guess I'm not an 'oppa' after all...'
Although she looked like a young girl without a doubt,
In terms of age, she was an elder sister who was a whopping 175 years older than I am.
Anyway, does the fact that age corresponds to level mean that older dragons are more powerful?
.......
I once again fell into contemplation.
Why was the communion list so empty?
Currently, only Derke's name stood there alone.
"Oh, right. What happened to the animals in the barn?"
Come to think of it, they've been quiet all this time.
Could it be because of this chaos?
Wait, could it be...?
“Ah, are you talking about the animals that were here?”
"Yeah! Derke, have you seen any livestock around here? Maybe they ran away when the barn collapsed..."
While we could restore the barn with the help of the maintenance department, it wasn't the same for the livestock. It would take a while to bring livestock from the mainland by boat.
With that in mind, we could only hope that the livestock were safe and sound.
"Ah, when I landed, they all happily departed to the afterlife!"
"What?!"
But my desperate plea was callously trampled upon by the carefree expression of the Death Dragon. Her face resembled that of a child who casually squashes a bug while walking down the street.
The deaths of the animals seemed inconsequential to him. Perhaps dragons perceive other creatures as mere insects.
'Sigh, things have been messed up since the day before school started...'
"Oh, there, Breeder Oppa! I have something to show you!"
Caught up in my worries or not, Derke cheerfully called my name.
"I'm not really in the mood for that right now..."
"Stop being like that and look here, Breeder Oppa!"
Swoosh!
Out of the blue, Derke extended her hand toward me as if offering something. She seemed to be implying that she had something to show me.
"Huh...? W-What is this supposed to be...?"
"Could these be your friends, Breeder Oppa?"
Fluffy, fluffy...
Surprisingly, what Derke showed me in the palm of her hand were cloud-like shapes maintaining the forms of animals, floating inside.
It was miniature models resembling rabbits, chickens, and goats.
"No way... Are these... from the barn...?"
"Yeah! They're the souls of your friends, Breeder Oppa!"
"T-That's possible?!"
I guess she really is a death dragon.
Playing with harvested souls like toys?
That's beside the point, this is a really big deal.
'I hope they don't blame me just because their livestock died, right?'
Anyway, when will Erdin, who went to call someone, come back?
"Um... Breeder Oppa...?"
"Huh? What now?"
Was it because I couldn't hide my astonished expression upon seeing the souls of the animals? Derke, with an even more gloomy expression, grabbed my sleeve again.
"I'm sorry about that..."
"Oh...? It's okay. It's not like you did it on purpose."
Still, there's some conscience there.
Knowing how to feel sorry and apologize.
Maybe it's just a deeply ingrained prejudice that dragons in fantasy novels are arrogant...
"Still...! There's something I want to do for you! If you'd like, I can send you to be with your animal friends, too!"
"What...?!"
"They're all so happy to be free from their physical bodies...!"
Prejudice my foot. Cancel that.
They're not considering the perspective of other species at all.
"No, it's fine. I'll pass."
I shook my head and declined.
Is it really true that the affection level is high?
Derke kept cheerfully suggesting, "Would you like to die too, Oppa?" as if recommending death.
"Still, one thing's for sure."
Even in this grim situation, I realized how to reset the bonding success list.
It's simply this: the bonded target listed must die in order to be removed from the list.
The implication was clear.
The remaining five slots needed to be filled carefully.
One wrong move in bonding with a dragon,
and I might never escape for the rest of my life.
That is, unless I aged and died first.
Moreover, with the existence of affection level stages, it seemed that maintaining a friendly relationship with the target was crucial, or it could become more of a hindrance.
"Squeak-squeak! Oh, by the way, Oppa...!"
"Hmm?"
My rejection must have left her feeling disappointed, as Derke, who had been silently lingering around, suddenly grabbed the hem of my shirt and sniffed.
"Oppa's scent is so familiar and nice!"
"What? My scent?"
Suddenly, a familiar scent?
Did I have a distinct scent?
At best, the only scents I had were probably just the lingering smell of dust from a thorough cleaning or the aroma of coffee I occasionally brewed.
"...Oh, do you also like coffee or tea, by any chance?"
"Dad...!!!"
"Huh?"
"I can smell my dad's smell on you!!!"
Awww!
"Hey...! Now, wait, what are you doing......?!"
The little hatchling in front of me suddenly declared me as "dad" and tightly wrapped her arms around my waist.
What was she saying for real?