Became a Dragon kidnapped by Humans

Belonging to the Mobile Strike Force ‘Marizan Ballerina,’ Elena Miller felt a growing frustration as she attempted to inject the antidote into the girl’s arm.

‘She was bitten, and yet why does she just sit there…!’

Elena had clearly seen the girl dabbing at her tear-streaked cheeks after staring at her bitten wrist with a whimper. So then…

If she’d been bitten, shouldn’t she have recoiled in fear and fled immediately?

Why, after being bitten, did she act as if she remembered nothing and simply smiled before petting and cradling it again?

It was an inexplicable behavior unless someone had smeared honey on the snake’s body.

As Elena looked at the girl’s moist eyes, she found herself unable to understand.

Elena fumbled repeatedly.

Was it because she kept getting distracted? For some reason, the needle wouldn’t enter easily.

Elena spoke up.

“Could you relax your arm a bit? It’ll only take three seconds, so please don’t worry… umm.”

But even after swallowing her words again:

The girl’s body showed no signs of tension or resistance anywhere.

And yet, for some inexplicable reason, the needle wouldn’t penetrate easily—like trying to pierce the tough hide of a wild beast.

Elena couldn’t figure out why. She dismissed it as either bad luck or a defective syringe.

After all, the girl’s arm felt soft and supple under Elena’s opposite hand, like any other child’s, making this situation all the more baffling.

“Damn it, what’s going on here… Just wait a moment,” muttered Elena as she quickly replaced the needle and tried again.

This time, the antidote was injected without issue.

Elena finally sighed in relief and complimented the girl.

“Phew, it was the needle’s fault… You were very brave despite the pain. It’s over now.”

The girl looked at Elena as if acknowledging her effort, but Elena remained oblivious to the fact that the needle had suddenly started working properly.

With a relieved sigh, Elena adjusted her wrist device.

A Mobile Strike Force member’s wristwatch—an advanced piece of equipment utilizing holograms as its primary interface.

When the hologram appeared:

“What kind of identity check takes all day… What? Rejected? These bastards from Research Lab 4.”

It read: “Request rejected by the Director of E Research Lab.”

Elena grabbed the back of her neck in frustration.

How could they send such nonsense after all this time when she had sent the girl’s photo ages ago?

‘Damn identity check, I should’ve guessed something was wrong when it dragged on for so long.’

Though Research Lab 4 would likely be disbanded soon, Elena resolved to confront them thoroughly once she returned to Lab 6.

Elena dismissed the hologram and lowered her head.

The girl sat there blankly.

‘I’ll just access the database directly; it’ll be faster. This kid can’t possibly be higher than Beta Rank, so she must be a regular resident whose information will surely come up.’

As a veteran Mobile Strike Force member with over ten years of experience and a candidate for Alpha Class, Elena had significant authority.

With a little coercion, she could even transfer the girl and her family to Lab 6.

There was no plausible reason why a simple identity check would fail.

Elena had believed this until reality proved otherwise.

“What are your parents’ names? Your mother and father?”

“…”

“Your age? How old are you?”

“…”

“Where do you live? In C-17 sector… near where you were lying earlier?”

“…”

No response.

An absolute lack of reaction.

‘This is bad…’

Elena swallowed hard.

If the child was simply ignoring her due to bad manners, that would be preferable.

However,

Elena’s sharp instincts told her otherwise.

‘When someone speaks to you, your gaze naturally follows their movements, even slightly…’

Literally, the girl didn’t move a muscle.

Not even turning her head or twitching a finger was remarkable enough.

Her expressions, gaze, and breathing—all natural reactions that even a top-tier actor would find difficult to control—remained completely unchanged.

In short, apathy.

That was it.

The girl was disturbingly apathetic.

At an age where one should never tire of playing all day, her eyes were eerily hollow.

If staying up all night could make someone this apathetic…

Even birds would need about a hundred million nights to reach this state.

‘This is almost like…’

Elena compared the girl’s eyes to those of the infected individuals she had encountered during her time monitoring IF-769-1, who lived in complete darkness within quarantine chambers.

It was clear.

‘Even they weren’t this vacant.’

Elena clenched her lips.

There had to be a reason why someone wouldn’t fear a snake.

What kind of torment could drive a person to become like this?

Her beautiful gem-like eyes contrasted starkly with her unnaturally empty gaze.

Elena was at a loss for words.

Now understanding the girl’s condition, the initial frustration had vanished entirely.

Elena, who usually addressed others formally except for her teammates, now found herself unsure of what to say or how to address the girl.

‘This isn’t something caused by a poor home environment.’

Even growing up with abusive parents wouldn’t lead to this state at such a young age, especially since the girl’s body showed not a single scratch.

‘I thought the child was mature for handling the injection, but this isn’t normal.’

Without the self-contained mental contamination detector in IF-401, Elena might have suspected the girl had suffered some mysterious mental breakdown.

With no leads from the girl’s mouth and no identifying items on her person, the identity check seemed doomed to fail.

“At least, we need to know your name…”

Just as Elena was racking her brain, a small voice reached her ears.

“… Rruu.”

Turning, Elena met the girl’s gaze directly.

Gem-like, beautiful eyes.

“Huh?”

Baffled by the sudden reaction, Elena struggled to recall what had prompted it.

Only one thing came to mind.

“… Name?”

The girl nodded slowly.

After staring silently at Elena for a moment, the girl opened her mouth hesitantly.

“… Rruuk, g. R… g.”

Her voice broke awkwardly, as if speaking itself was unfamiliar to her.

Despite appearing capable of fluent everyday conversation at her age, her previous state explained the difficulty.

Elena listened intently without impatience.

Encouraged by Elena’s gaze, the girl finally managed to utter a word.

“… Luge.”

Upon hearing the first proper word, Elena brightened and repeated it.

“Luge… Is your name ‘Luge’?”

After a brief silence, the girl, who seemed to be pondering, nodded.

Elena felt relieved.

Given the unique name, she believed it would suffice to search without needing the surname.

“Thank you for answering my question.”

Having expected the girl to remain silent until the end, this formality felt meaningful to Elena.

“…”

Unbeknownst to the busy Elena operating the hologram, the girl watched her with pride, as if observing a well-behaved daughter returning home every day instead of unruly children.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

They asked for my name.

You guys usually call me whatever you want without asking, right?

Starting from the most common ‘Dragon God.’

‘Feathered Serpent God,’ ‘White Dragon,’ ‘Maiden of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace,’ ‘Responding Dragon,’ ‘Ananta,’ ‘IF017.’

And even ‘Progenitor.’

Amidst this hodgepodge, I appreciated being asked how I preferred to be addressed.

Some people just blurt out their names and then shut up.

Contrast that with consistent respect and no unnecessary interference.

Who stands out more is obvious.

To me, Kang Hana is a fake sage.

On the contrary, the cleaning staff seems much more like a true sage.

One has nothing redeemable besides their ideology, while the other excels everywhere else.

Who’s better is crystal clear.

While it was problematic that they couldn’t read my thoughts and still wanted to know my name, it was fine.

I could say it aloud.

Consider it an honor.

Our Sajejang… no, calling it that makes me confuse it with all the past Sajejangs.

We need a name for that too.

Right.

Our Sajejang Muna, aside from her, knows nothing!

‘Muna? Progenitor? Name?’

No, Muna isn’t my name…

… Right. If I say it here, even Tonton-i Snake will learn my name.

Whatever.

Both of you listen carefully.

Although it’s closer to a nickname shortened from my full name, I’ve said it.

“… Rruuk, g.”

I messed up.

Oh.

This isn’t my name, is it?

‘Progenitor. Name. Abnormal.’

Then a harsh wave of criticism hit me through telepathy.

… That’s really unfair. After not speaking for so long, it’s easy to forget where to place your tongue.

I refocused and said it correctly this time.

“Luge.”

That’s right. This is how it should be.

“Luge… Is your name Luge?”

Yes.

Tonton-i Snake, remember this well. I won’t repeat myself.

I sent that message telepathically.

‘Abnormal. Luge. Name. Male, feeling. Not good.’

… He keeps doing this. Should I just cut him off and lie down?

What do you expect me to do about my name being Luge?

It’s not like I can tell you my full name is『︎■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■Luge』︎.

And besides, that full name is impossible to pronounce while wearing pajamas.

I checked briefly to see the busy cleaner engrossed in her wrist device.

“Luge… Luge… Is it not Lug? Why doesn’t anything show up?”

She’s lost in her own world, staring at the light emanating from her wrist.

She’s having fun with something trivial. Would she like glowing mussels from the bottom of a lake?

Umm.

I should warn Tonton-i Snake properly.

Tonton-i Snake, names carry power, so they shouldn’t be used carelessly. There are extremely dangerous names in this world.

But even after my warning, the foolish Tonton-i Snake asked innocently:

‘Understood. Difficult. What does it mean?’

Well… let me put it simply.

So, if I keep calling you Tonton-i Snake, you’ll actually start becoming fatter and fatter.

I gave an example that would resonate clearly.

‘!!!’

Shaking violently.

I could feel the plump body of the startled Tonton-i Snake trembling in my arms.

‘Progenitor! No! Different, name. Please use!’

Why, Tonton-i Snake?

What’s wrong with calling you Tonton-i Snake, you Tonton-i Snake!

I bombarded him with telepathic messages.

‘Progenitor! Stop! Name! Stop! Stop!’

And the accompanying “Gwueeeng” sound.

Hehe.

Tonton-i Snake’s appearance is incredibly fortunate. I don’t know what I’d have done without him.

Foolish Tonton-i Snake.

Too insignificant.

That’s why he’s the best!

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