Dragon Poor

Seon-Hyeok was left speechless. The wyvern truly embodied the feeling of resignation, as all it did was sigh while being restrained by the drake. Seon-Hyeok found the sight so pitiful that he almost ordered Goldrake to release its prey.

However, he did his best to shake off these feelings. He could see torn clothing stuck between the wyvern’s razor sharp teeth, clothing he assumed belonged to the fallen hunter. It was a clear demonstration of what would have happened to Rheinperle had the hunt failed.

The original inhabitants and the newcomers had only recently started to live in harmony, and all that progress would have been for nothing if Rheinperle became a fertile hunting ground for the airborne monster.

-          The dragon taming skill has been activated.

-          You have attempted to tame the dragon subspecies on the verge of death.

-          You have failed.

Seon-Hyeok anticipated that taming the wyvern would be easy given its current state, but he was mistaken. The monster stubbornly resisted despite being on the verge of death.

“Hey, you’re going to die at that rate.”

Goldrake had been chomping at the wyvern like it was a stick of gum, so Seon-Hyeok would not have been shocked if the beast died at any moment. If the taming took too long, the wyvern could die, making all the efforts spent to capture it be in vain.

“I’m not joking. I don’t know if I can heal you back to full health as is.”

-          The dragon taming skill has been activated.

-          You have attempted to tame the wyvern.

-          You have failed.

Once again, the wyvern refused to obey. Seon-Hyeok kept talking to it, unwilling to give up, but despite being resigned to its fate, the monster resisted until the very end.

Growl.

As time passed, Goldrake started to put more and more strength into its jaw. The wyvern shuddered every time its captor took a breath, knowing that it could be torn to pieces at any moment.

“I can’t hold Goldie back forever.”

He was not being facetious. The moment Goldrake decided to ignore its master’s commands, the wyvern would meet its untimely end. Seon-Hyeok hoped the worst would not come to pass, and he desperately continued to sway the monster.

“You should get your wounds treated first. If you’re really unhappy afterwards, you can always run away. You have wings, after all.”

-          The dragon taming skill has been activated.

-          You have attempted to tame the wyvern.

-          The wyvern has shown the slightest hints of listening to your words.

After much time spent trying to persuade the dying beast, the wyvern finally began to show an interest in his words. Seon-Hyeok seized the opportunity and continued to persuade it.

-          The dragon taming skill has been activated.

-          You have attempted to tame the wyvern.

-          The wyvern is hesitating.

Seeing the notifications change little by little, Seon-Hyeok felt that the pivotal moment would happen at any moment.

“What are you so worried about? You think you’ll be tied down? I don’t mind if you fly around as you please.”

-          The dragon taming skill has been activated.

-          You have attempted to tame the wyvern.

-          The wyvern is wavering.

Seon-Hyeok knew he could tame the wyvern if given enough time, but that was precisely the problem. The wyvern’s amber eyes rolled back as it gasped for breath.

“Goldie. Let it go.”

Just in case, he summoned Atiya before giving his drake the order. Goldrake showed its displeasure, growling before slamming the wyvern against the ground.

“Oh, come on!”

Seon-Hyeok grew angry at his drake’s unexpectedly disobedient behavior, and when scolded, Goldrake flopped onto the ground and turned its head away. The drake covered its head with its front legs and adamantly refused to pay any more attention to the current situation.

“Tsk.”

For whatever reason, the drake seemed particularly sulky today. However, this was not the time to care for the self-centered drake’s feelings. Seon-Hyeok immediately rushed to the wyvern struggling to catch its breath and attempted to tame it.

“I’ll ask you one last time. We really don’t have time.”

-          The dragon taming skill has been activated.

-          You have attempted to tame the wyvern.

Seon-Hyeok was not lying. The wyvern truly would die if left alone any longer. He persuaded the monster in a soft but firm voice, and the wyvern’s thoughts were conveyed back to him.

[Help me!]

He could hear the urgent cry in his mind.

-          Dragon taming has been successful!

-          You have tamed the wyvern!

-          The wyvern is not completely subservient to you.

-          You have succeeded in forming a relationship with a subspecies of dragon on the verge of death.

The moment the messages ended, the wyvern’s unfocused eyes rolled back, and it foamed at the mouth before collapsing.

It fainted before Seon-Hyeok could even give it a name.

Seon-Hyeok immediately dropped everything and devoted himself to restoring the wyvern. He would have had an easier time doing so if, like with Goldrake and Bluegon, he knew which attribute the wyvern was attuned to, but the monster had lost consciousness before being able to inform its new master.

“You turned it into a complete rag.”

The wyvern was in a miserable state after being bitten and chewed on by Goldrake. Its massive wings were broken and torn, and the scales on its chest and neck were in tatters. It was to be expected – not only was there a significant size difference between the two creatures, but the drake had also dealt with its prey mercilessly.

-          Dying

No matter how many times he checked, the wyvern’s status showed no signs of improvement. Unexpectedly, it was Aria Eisen who stepped up to help.

“I can’t give you any guarantees, but this should be effective.”

After staring at the wyvern for a while, she disappeared, only to return with an unidentifiable liquid and a handful of herbs.

“Thank…”

“In return, I’ll take some scales, flesh, and blood.”

As if she had been waiting for his thanks, Aria Eisen approached the wyvern, where she scratched away the broken scales and removed some flesh. Seon-Hyeok could not help but be discouraged at the sight of her opening the monster’s wounds and drawing blood.

However, setting aside her zealous pursuit of research, the liquid and herbs Aria Eisen brought were surprisingly effective. When Seon-Hyeok poured the substance over the open wounds, the unconscious wyvern immediately woke up.

Shriek!

But once it did, the monster screamed and collapsed a second time.

“Uh, what the hell is this?”

“It’s a regenerative potion I worked on before. I guarantee you it’s effective.”

Just as she claimed, the potion’s effects were immediate and outstanding. The wyvern’s open wounds bubbled and foamed, and they slowly began to heal.

“Oh?”

Seon-Hyeok showed interest in the medicine after seeing its unrealistic effects, but Aria Eisen quickly cut him off.

“You can’t use that on humans. The wounds get healed, but they suffer such terrible pain that they die of shock.”

He was taken aback. 

Could a potion that heals wounds but, in turn, kills the target through sheer shock even be considered medicine? 

He was just as bewildered that she had so unhesitatingly offered such a dangerous treatment to the wyvern.

“Can you use that so recklessly?”

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t being thoughtless. I imagined that monsters with great vitality could endure the pain caused by the potion, and my hypothesis was correct.”

This time, she grabbed the herbs. Seon-Hyeok immediately stepped between her and the wyvern.

“The herbs, too…?”

“No. They’re nothing special. They’re just normal herbs to prevent infections, help the healing process, and relieve pain. Oh, now that I think about it, I should have applied this first. My mistake.”

It was an answer befitting someone who was no better than a child when it came to anything unrelated to magic. Even after verbally confirming the herbs’ effects, Seon-Hyeok remained unconvinced. Taking the plants from Aria, he applied a miniscule amount on a wound to see for himself.

Fortunately, this time, the wyvern did not exhibit any sudden reactions. Relieved, he evenly applied the rest of the herbs onto the wyvern’s wounds, and after a while, the intermittently twitching monster began to breathe regularly once again.

“Well, thank you. You can go back now.”

He was lucky that the wyvern was such a resilient creature. If something had gone wrong, he could have accidentally killed his new wyvern in an attempt to treat its wounds. Seon-Hyeok gave Aria Eisen a disapproving look and sent her away with a gesture.

“Don’t let Sir Eisen near the wyvern, especially if I’m not around. Notify me right away if she ever shows herself.”

He immediately commanded his soldiers, worried she might come and harm the wyvern in the name of research.

“We will follow your orders day and night.”

Adol, having just watched the wyvern cry out in terrible pain, nodded with a solemn expression.

Anxious for the wyvern to wake up, Seon-Hyeok opened his status window countless times each day to check for any changes in the creature’s status.

-          Exhaustion, pain, vigilance

After almost a week of waiting, the wyvern’s status changed.

“My lord! The wyvern has woken up!”

“I know!”

At that very moment, Adol rushed in to inform him of the news, and Seon-Hyeok hurriedly ran to the warehouse where the wyvern was kept.

“You’re here, my lord.”

“When did it wake up?”

Wary of the wyvern, the soldier stood a safe distance away. He notified Seon-Hyeok that it had not been long, and delighted, Seon-Hyeok approached the wyvern.

“You’re finally awake.”

The wyvern simply rolled its amber eyes, head still hanging weakly.

“Inform Sir Montaigne right away, and bring me the fattest pig available!”

The wyvern’s current state reminded him of when he first met Goldrake on the verge of starvation, and thus, he immediately called for a meal to be prepared.

Soon after, soldiers rushed in carrying meat on a stretcher, and Seon-Hyeok quickly grabbed the largest piece before approaching the beast.

“Be careful, my lord. I think it’s hungry – it already attacked a soldier.”

Adol offered a warning, saying that after regaining consciousness, the wyvern had attacked the soldier standing guard.

“Don’t worry.”

However, Seon-Hyeok ignored the warning as he approached.

-          Hunger, appetite, exhaustion, vigilance

The wyvern narrowed its eyes and stared at Seon-Hyeok without accepting the slab of meat. It was evident that the creature was traumatized by the extreme dragon taming process.

“Eat. You need to eat to get stronger.”

No matter how much he coaxed the monster, the wyvern refused to eat. Seon-Hyeok finally gave up, forcing the jaw open and stuffing the meat inside.

“M, my lord!”

The soldiers screamed as they saw their lord putting his hands between the monster’s powerful jaws.

“It’s fine. If you’re going to be a distraction, back off. You’re going to scare Redvern.”

“Redvern? What’s Redvern?”

Apparently, news of the wyvern’s awakening had already spread. Hansen and Clark showed up at the scene, and confused, they asked their lord.

“Red wyvern. Shortened to Redvern.”

“Oh! Makes sense. That’s a great name.”

“Right?”

Hansen repeatedly voiced his approval for the name, and Seon-Hyeok let the compliments get to his head.

“Is there any room for reconsideration?”

“None at all! There’s not a better name in the world!”

“It’s perfect!”

Seon-Hyeok and Hansen quickly shut down Clark’s objections.

“Well, he’s your wyvern. Do as you wish.”

Clark shook his head and sighed. Seon-Hyeok snorted, before belatedly realizing that the wyvern had eaten the meat that it had been force-fed. He quickly offered the monster another chunk of meat.

Chomp.

Seon-Hyeok smiled as he watched the wyvern readily accept the food this time.

“Your name will be Redvern from now on. Redvern.”

-          The wyvern’s obedience has slightly increased to 15.

-          A new category has been added under the attribute section.