Became a Dragon kidnapped by Humans

I was in the middle of concentrating, writing in the clearest and most legible font I could muster.

But then, a sense of injustice dawned on me.

Why must I, the magnificent Dragon and Spirit of the Lake, be reduced to crawling around and scratching words into the floor with my claws?

This feels like some kind of punishment!

That rotten human—if they’d only listened to me properly, I wouldn’t be in this situation. But noooo, they never listen.

If only Sajejang could see me now…

Stupid humans. Sob sob.

If after all this humiliation there isn’t even a satisfying result…

I’d be royally pissed—like ‘5 Breath’ level angry.

Is it finally time for a good ol’ power cleanse?

I hope you’re getting this loud and clear.

“Wow! Our cute IF-017 can draw too?”

Gan Hana.

You. You mental case.

I glared at Gan Hana with deep dissatisfaction.

And then, just as I was about to make a vow to deal with her later…

—Beeeep.

A familiar sound came from a familiar direction.

The door started to open.

Finally!

I immediately stopped writing.

I was just thinking that maybe I should move to the wall since I’m running out of space, but now you’ve finally noticed.

Thank goodness.

I’ll let this slide just this once. Be grateful. Hmmph.

I quelled the rising anger in my gut.

I waited anxiously for the door to fully open, but when it did, I didn’t rush out.

Because someone seemed to be waiting for me.

A man in a black vest holding something in his hands.

Though I’ve never seen his face before, that outfit is unmistakably familiar—it’s the same one I saw last time.

It was definitely those people who carried me off to another room.

And that black-haired woman who poked my cheek along with Gan Hana… what was her name again? I heard it once.

Oh right, Gan Hana called her Jiseol Senior.

Anyway, those were the people led away by others wearing these exact clothes.

From these fragmented clues, I figured it out.

This uniform…

Must belong to modern-day ‘palanquin bearers’!

Palanquin bearers.

My palanquin bearers have finally arrived!

Finally, humanity has returned to its proper place!

“Kyaah…”

Yeah, humans used to be so kind, thinking we were adorable, gentle-hearted beings. They went through a weird phase, but now they’re back to normal.

How touching.

I quickly approached the palanquin bearer and transmitted my destination.

Let’s head to where the chubby snake is.

I sent the message clearly, making sure our eyes met.

The palanquin bearer bowed deeply.

Great. Let’s go!

But alas, my expectation of being lifted up and carried was dashed.

Because instead of picking me up, the palanquin bearer started sweeping the floor where I had written.

Huh?

This wasn’t part of the plan. Why is the palanquin bearer cleaning up my writings?

No way…

Could this person actually be a janitor instead?

That doesn’t make sense though. Then why did the janitors not clean last time and instead took Gan Hana and Jiseol Senior away?

Hmm…

At that moment, an annoying thought reached me.

“Sob, I really should’ve gotten a picture of IF-017 smiling… I should’ve had my camera ready. Is she trying to avoid smiling again? Maybe tickling her would work… Evan, how do I…”

Ah-ha!

So that’s why, huh?

If that’s the case, you’re truly the best janitor ever.

Honestly, I’d love to keep you around just to send Gan Hana away whenever she bothers me.

But alas, that won’t happen, will it?

Even though janitors seem insignificant, without them the temple would completely fall apart.

Sajejang said so himself.

I patted the palanquin… no, janitor encouragingly.

I’ll go fetch the chubby snake while you clean this place up nicely.

Though it’s disappointing that you aren’t the palanquin bearer I expected, beggars can’t be choosers.

Alright.

Shall we go then?

I left the janitor behind and headed out.

—Beeeep.

After stepping out, I turned back at the familiar sound; the door was automatically closing.

This room may suck overall, but at least the security feature works well.

Solid.

—–

The little snake was dreaming.

Of a distant past, when it was even smaller.

When its mother and siblings were still alive, living peacefully.

Only…

All of that was an illusion.

Its mother and siblings had disappeared into the hands of two-legged creatures, and the little snake itself had been dragged away from its mountain home and locked up in a prison made by humans.

‘Longing.’

When the little snake woke up, it yawned with a “squeak.”

It was already plump from being fed in its cramped confines, but sitting still as per the ancestral command had only increased its sleepiness recently.

However, now wasn’t the time to indulge in drowsiness.

An impossibly clear thought pierced through the little snake’s mind, sharper than any memory of its mother.

‘Ancestor.’

The entity its mother had instructed it to call by this name.

“Chubby snake. I’m coming. Stay still.”

“Understood. I’ll stay still.”

The little snake responded with a thought, its only skill taught by its mother.

Though rudimentary, it was a tremendous blessing—a far better use of its time than dwelling on old memories.

For it allowed the little snake to accomplish something much, much more important.

How long had it been?

Upon sensing movement, the little snake instinctively stretched out its body to camouflage itself.

Today’s batch of two-legged creatures appeared.

Though it feared them, the little snake stayed still.

Normally, it would have darted around its small cage, but today was different.

Because the Ancestor had told it to wait quietly.

“Waiting. Then help.”

The little snake endured the torment of the two-legged creatures to follow the Ancestor’s thoughts.

Instead, it imagined.

What might the Ancestor look like?

Was it a big snake? Or perhaps it had legs? It wondered.

It was a decent way to overcome fear.

Then—

Bang, bang.

From far away, beyond countless walls, an unfamiliar sound reverberated.

Too faint for the dull senses of the two-legged creatures, but the little snake could hear it.

A familiar yet strange noise.

Unclear, yet ominous.

“Fear.”

The Ancestor, capable of such clear thoughts, must surely know the origin of this vibration.

The little snake thought so.

But it couldn’t ask the Ancestor.

“Ancestor… where are you?”

With its limited abilities, the little snake couldn’t locate the Ancestor unless contacted first.

It couldn’t transmit thoughts as clearly or freely as the Ancestor.

So the little snake waited silently.

“Chubby snake, can you see me now? I’m close.”

“Where? Where?”

“Hmm… just a bit more waiting and you’ll see me.”

“Understood. Waiting. Help.”

Responding enthusiastically to the Ancestor’s masterful transmission of thoughts.

It waited quietly as instructed by the Ancestor.

Bang, bang, bang.

The sound grew louder, audible to everyone.

The little snake could feel it.

The roar of a beast. The screams of two-legged creatures.

And the smell of blood.

The two-legged creatures who used to torment the little snake were nowhere to be seen now, having fled at the first sign of danger.

Tick. Tick-tick-tick.

The light above dimmed and went out, plunging the area into darkness.

Though accustomed to the dark, the little snake couldn’t relax.

Because the beast could navigate the darkness too.

“Chubby snake, I’m almost there.”

“Danger. Help.”

The only thing keeping the little snake calm was the Ancestor’s reassuring thoughts.

To not disappoint the Ancestor…

The little snake held its ground despite the approaching growls.

Thud, thud.

Thud.

The rhythmic stomping that had been drawing closer suddenly stopped.

The little snake knew.

Just beyond the crack of the door left slightly ajar by the fleeing two-legged creatures.

Right outside that door, the foul stench of the beast seeped in.

Tatatang! Tatatatang!

“Kyaaaah!”

The deafening roar made the little snake squeal and squirm.

It recognized this sound.

The fire-spewing sticks wielded by the two-legged creatures.

Even toothy four-legged beasts and feathered flying ones would collapse helplessly after hearing that thunderous noise.

The little snake knew the terror of those sticks all too well.

Which is why…

“Magazine jammed…! Just die, you bastard!”

Creak, crunch. Grind.

“Aaaagh!!”

The beast that effortlessly devoured multiple two-legged creatures like snacks terrified the little snake even more.

“Horror.”

The little snake trembled uncontrollably.

Even though the Ancestor had told it to stay still, it kept its eyes glued to the crack in the door.

Growl.

The beast was searching for food.

Unlike the little snake, which could go a long time without eating, the beast was always hungry.

Weary of devouring nothing but two-legged creatures, the beast eventually found its delicacy.

“Urrrghh…”

Squeak. Squeak.

The beast pushed its snout through the door crack and moved toward the little snake’s cage.

The beast was enormous.

The little snake was tiny compared to its massive toe.

Even the largest creature in the mountain where the little snake lived—the mighty hibernating beast—was shorter than the beast by a whole head.

As the beast stared at the little snake, drooling saliva mixed with two-legged creature blood,

The little snake curled up and shook.

Creak, creak.

The transparent cage that the little snake couldn’t escape from no matter how much it jumped was torn apart in an instant.

And what the little snake saw was…

A towering shadow looming over it…

And a gaping hole beside it.

“Escape…”

The little snake thought.

Would jumping toward that hole give it a chance to escape?

Given the little snake’s incredible leaping speed, it probably could.

But it didn’t move.

Because the Ancestor had told it to wait.

The little snake faced the beast head-on.

Dozens of bullet wounds didn’t seem to bother the beast, whose mouth gaped wide in hunger.

In a last desperate attempt, the little snake sent out a clear thought.

“Help. Ancestor. Help. Help…”

As the beast’s breath neared, the little snake squeezed its eyes shut.

And then…

“Finally, we meet.”

A familiar thought arrived.

The Ancestor.

Resembling the two-legged creatures in appearance but radiating something ancient, noble, and majestic.

Though entirely different from what the little snake had imagined,

It was undoubtedly the Ancestor.

Despite being much smaller than the beast, the Ancestor walked lightly yet confidently.

The beast tilted its head in confusion at the sudden appearance but soon lunged its mouth toward the Ancestor.

The little snake panicked and sent its clearest thought yet.

“Ancestor! Danger! Danger!”

Drip drip.

Just as the beast’s bloody saliva was about to hit the Ancestor,

Whoosh.

A soft sound passed by.

Before the little snake could process what happened,

Something white stretched out and pierced through the beast.

All the little snake knew was…

That the terrifying beast which had filled it with dread was instantly split into two by a diagonal slash.

The Ancestor’s small wings flapped once to shake off the blood.

“Kyao.”

And then came the thought.

“So, chubby snake. How do you use your thoughts?”

When the little snake looked into the Ancestor’s eyes, the previously distant thoughts became crystal clear.

There was no concern for the little snake in that thought.

Which made the Ancestor seem even cooler to the little snake.

Because it showed absolute confidence in saving it!

To the little snake, at that moment,

The Ancestor standing right before it was the coolest thing in the world.

“Ancestor…! Amazing!”

“I am pretty amazing, aren’t I? Finally, we can have a proper conversation.”

The Ancestor extended both hands.

The little snake leapt into them.

Only then did it realize its mistake.

Would moving so abruptly make the Ancestor dislike it?

“It’s not something I’d hate.”

And the Ancestor pulled it close.

The little snake was amazed that its thoughts were understood so easily.

Because normally, it required intense focus to transmit thoughts so effortlessly.

“Can you see me clearly now, chubby snake?”

Following the thought, the little snake looked up at the Ancestor.

The Ancestor’s eyes were like jewels.

It could see its own reflection in those eyes.

“Hehe, I can hear you loud and clear now too!”

The little snake, too,

Smiled following the Ancestor while nestled in its embrace.

“Ancestor. The best.”