The NPC's Survival Guide

A heavy silence filled the air.

Noah remained frozen, resisting the urge to even breathe too loudly.

The giant red dragon continued to hover above, its golden eyes locked onto him. For a moment, the only sound was the faint fluttering of its massive wings.

Then—it moved.

With a slow, deliberate motion, the dragon descended slightly, bringing its colossal head closer.

The sheer size of it overwhelmed Noah.Noah had seen dragons in the game before. But this? This was something else entirely.

The sheer size, the way the air trembled with every breath the creature took—he wasn't sure if he was about to die or simply go insane from fear.

Up close, he could see every intricate scale, every faint scar on its body—a sign of battles that had lasted through centuries.

He didn't dare move.

Didn't dare speak.

And the dragon… simply watched him.

It was studying him.

Minutes passed, but to Noah, it felt like an eternity.

Then, the dragon spoke again—its deep voice filled with something unexpected.

"Strange…"

It wasn't anger. It wasn't fury.

It was… curiosity.

"You do not reek of greed, nor of power."

A pause.

The dragon's glowing eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then… why are you here?"

Noah's mind raced.

'What should I do?!'

He couldn't explain himself—not while his mouth was cursed to say Welcome to the castle.

Would the dragon kill him if he remained silent? Would it lose interest?

His heart pounded in his chest.

This moment—this conversation—was never part of the game.

And for the first time… he had no idea what would happen next.

---

Noah was about to speak.

Even though he knew the only words that would leave his mouth were Welcome to the castle, he still wanted to break the silence—to do something before the red dragon lost patience and decided to end him.

But before he could—

The red dragon suddenly turned its head, gazing toward the sun.

Its golden eyes narrowed, its expression shifting from curiosity to irritation.

"Tch, they are early today."

Noah barely had time to process what that meant before—

The air grew heavy. A strange pressure settled in, as if the very world was holding its breath. Then, the sky darkened—not from clouds, but from shadows. More were coming

A deafening roar filled the sky.

Then—they appeared.

Four more dragons descended from the clouds, their massive wings blocking out the sun.

The moment they landed, the ground shook violently, cracks forming beneath Noah's feet. The powerful gusts of wind from their wings nearly sent him flying, forcing him to struggle to keep his balance.

The red dragon, who was already terrifying on its own, was now joined by four more of its kind.

Noah gulped.

He was completely surrounded.

Among the four, one dragon stood out—a blue dragon, smaller than the others but still immense compared to Noah.

If he had previously thought himself to be half the size of the red dragon's nail, then now, standing before the blue dragon, he was nothing more than the size of a single nail.

The blue dragon's piercing gaze landed on him.

Then, with an amused tone, it spoke.

"Do you have a guest today, uncle? How unlike you. Weren't you a loner since birth?"

The red dragon's expression hardened at those words.

A tense silence filled the air.

Noah, caught in the middle of these behemoths, could do nothing but wait—unsure whether this gathering would lead to his salvation… or his execution.

---

The red dragon's golden eyes narrowed, its wings shifting slightly as if preparing to swat the blue dragon aside.

But before it could react—

The blue dragon swiftly turned its head, shifting its attention away from Noah and toward the red dragon.

Its expression changed in an instant.

Gone was the playful smirk.

Instead, it made a puppy face, tilting its massive head slightly and blinking innocently.

"Are you angry, uncle? Did I say something wrong?"

Its voice was overly sweet, filled with exaggerated innocence.

Noah couldn't believe what he was witnessing. A dragon, a legendary creature that had ruled over the land for centuries, was acting like a mischievous child.

The tension in the air… vanished.

The red dragon closed its eyes for a brief moment, as if holding back a headache.

Then—it sighed.

The deep rumble of its breath made the very air vibrate.

"You never change, do you?"

Its tone wasn't angry anymore—just tired.

Noah remained frozen, still unsure what the hell was going on.

The other dragons, who had remained silent observers, finally reacted.

A black dragon, standing slightly behind the blue one, let out a deep chuckle.

"Still as shameless as ever, huh?"

Its voice was rough, carrying a hint of amusement.

Beside it, a silver dragon scoffed, flicking its tail against the ground.

"More like an annoying hatchling that never grew up."

The blue dragon pouted dramatically.

"Hey! That's rude, you know? I just wanted to lighten the mood!"

The last of the group, a green dragon, simply sighed—as if used to this kind of interaction.

Noah, on the other hand, stood there like a statue, watching the casual conversation between dragons unfold in front of him.

It was almost surreal.

'Wait… are they just going to ignore me now?'

He was still trapped in the middle of five legendary beings, yet they were acting like siblings bickering at a family gathering.

Should he stay quiet and let this moment pass?

Or… would drawing attention back to himself be a death sentence?

His legs tensed.

The silver dragon's voice echoed through the ruins, smooth yet carrying an unnatural weight.

"What an odd human."

Her piercing eyes focused on Noah, studying him as if he were a puzzle missing several pieces.

Then, after a brief pause, she added—

"He has a soul, but he doesn't."

The moment those words left her mouth, the air shifted.

The playful atmosphere between the dragons vanished in an instant.

The other dragons turned their gazes back to Noah, their once-casual expressions now replaced with something far more… serious.

Noah felt his breath hitch.

A cold sensation crept up his spine as five pairs of draconic eyes bore into him.

The green dragon tilted its head slightly, blinking as if trying to see what the silver dragon had noticed.

"Really? I don't see anything unusual."

Its voice was casual, almost indifferent.

The red dragon immediately snapped back.

"Shut up, youngster. She has never been wrong or uncertain about anything."

Its tone was sharp, carrying an authority that silenced the green dragon instantly.

Then, the black dragon, who had been quiet until now, let out a slow, thoughtful hum.

"Yes… if she is saying it, it has to be the truth."

A heavy silence followed.

The weight of their words pressed down on Noah, his mind racing.

'What does that even mean? I have a soul… but I don't?'

It sounded impossible, yet the dragons seemed to be taking it very seriously.

For the first time, he felt that this encounter wasn't just about his intrusion into their domain—

It was about him.

To be continued -