How to Survive as a terminally-ill Dragon

Chapter 6. The Solution (3)

The word ‘Granddaddy’ burrowed into his ears.

It was an indescribable thrill for Phamus.

Not even when he first held his own son, Genelocer, did he feel such elation.

‘Can there really be a creature so cute in this world!’

The sight of that small, white head tilting repeatedly was so endearing it made Phamus’s wings flutter.

“Yes, I am your granddaddy. Oh my, whose grandchild might you be? You’re so handsome! Hahah.”

Phamus beamed with delight at his grandson, an expression that made the other ancient dragons shake their heads in amusement.

“He’s absolutely ecstatic about his first grandchild.”

“He’s been singing about wanting a grandchild for so long, it’s no wonder he’s thrilled. Let him be.”

As Phamus began to calm down from his excitement at meeting Lois for the first time, a silver dragon spoke up.

“You wish to know Lois’s attributes? Isn’t it a bit early?”

“Yes, I thought so too, but Lois himself requested to learn.”

“Hahah! Looks like our grandchild is already brimming with a passion for learning!”

“Phamus, be quiet!”

“Hehe!”

A sigh resigned to defeat came from the silver dragon, who then pointed to the center of the clearing.

“Place him there and go.”

“Yes.”

Following the silver dragon’s words, Genelocer placed Lois in the center of the cavern.

Left alone, Lois looked up at his father.

“…Daddy?”

“There’s nothing much to it. You just have to sit here quietly, that’s all.”

After patting Lois’s head, Genelocer stepped back.

Shortly after, Lois found himself surrounded by the thirteen ancient dragons.

Trusting in his father, he took his place with composure.

Despite trying to relax, he couldn’t completely shake off the tension.

Gulp.

In front of a nervous Lois stretched thirteen hands.

“Hoo?”

The silver dragon admired Genelocer’s hatchling.

Ordinarily, hatchlings would be petrified by the presence of so many ancient dragons.

It’s because they can feel the energy that ancient dragons involuntarily emit.

But this child in front of them, while obviously nervous, was not trembling in fear.

‘Quite clever indeed.’

The silver dragon gave a slight smile and gestured to the others.

“Let’s begin.”

Following that signal, a myriad of energies rose from the thirteen massive hands.

The thirteen attributes that compose mana materialized in the hands of the dragons.

“Ah…!”

Lois watched the manifested elemental powers as if spellbound.

The thirteen elders of the dragon kin.

Each had honed their respective attribute to the demi-godly level of ‘Zero’.

The gathering of the thirteen attributes they wrought was as beautiful as jewels.

“Amazing…”

Enthralled by the beautiful confluence of elemental powers around him, Lois’s eyes softened.

In that moment, he heard a dragon’s voice.

“Close your eyes, child. And call out. Call out to the friend who will be with you for life. Then, the one who wishes to be your friend will come to you.”

Following the tranquil voice, Lois closed his eyes.

Even with his eyes closed, he could see the thirteen lights flickering before him.

Lois called out to them with a pleasant warmth.

‘Come to me.’

Woom.

A faint vibration arose in Lois’s mind.

Simultaneously, the hatchling’s little heart throbbed in accordance with the will of its owner.

Thump, thump.

The pleasant vibration spread gently around him.

And then shortly after, the first change occurred.

Swoosh.

The white energy from one of the dragon’s hands slowly moved towards Lois.

Watching from behind, Genelocer’s eyes brightened.

‘An unnatural attribute, Time!’

The energy approaching Lois was one of the four unnatural attributes, specifically the attribute of Time.

It was rare for dragons, let alone other species, to be born with an unnatural attribute.

Moreover, those born with an unnatural attribute were known to be at least 1.5 times stronger than those with a natural attribute, a common understanding across the realm.

Lois had been born with that unnatural attribute.

“Hahaha!”

What parent wouldn’t be overjoyed?

But Genelocer’s happiness did not end there.

Swoosh.

As the energy of Time settled beside Lois, the blue energy resting above Phamus’s hand also approached him.

Genelocer’s eyes became as wide as lanterns.

‘A dual attribute!’

Occasionally, individuals are born with more than one attribute.

It was very rare, but those with dual attributes matured faster than others.

Moreover, when they reached their potential, their strength was incomparable to those with a single attribute.

Most of the great legends of an era were beings born with dual attributes.

What astonished Genelocer even more was…

‘That the second is also an unnatural attribute!’

The attribute Phamus was born with was Strength.

The immense collective power that encompasses the world had chosen Lois.

An irrefutable smile spread across the corners of Genelocer’s lips.

And such joy was no different for Lois’s grandfather, Phamus.

“Hahah! Indeed, my grandson! An attribute of Strength! And even dual attributes!”

Phamus was overjoyed to learn that Lois was born with two unnatural attributes.

Among dragons, it was only a handful who were born with dual attributes.

No grandfather wouldn’t be delighted to learn of his grandchild’s talent.

The other ancient dragons also seemed pleased with the rare birth of a dual attribute within their kin.

But their celebrations were premature.

“Hmm?”

A dragon’s eyelids twitched.

He released his grasp in surprise at the black energy struggling to break free from his hand.

The black energy then slowly moved toward Lois.

Genelocer gasped in shock at this development.

“Wha! Again?!”

“A third?”

“Triple attributes?!”

The third attribute heading for Lois astonished everyone.

Throughout the long history of the Evan dimension, there had only been two beings born with triple attributes.

The first Dragon King, Kaidus.

And the worst dragon consumed by the Demon, Rotverier.

Dragons who had left deep marks in the lengthy annals of history.

And now, a new figure was emerging to claim a page in that history.

Until that moment, everyone thought so.

Until one of the ancient dragons cried out in surprise.

“No, no?!”

The red dragon loosened his grip in shock at the writhing energy in his hand.

Just like before, red energy flew toward Lois.

White, black, blue, red.

Energies of four different colors swirled around Lois like excited puppies greeting their owner.

Finding them endearing, Lois opened his arms wide.

Then the four energies flew into his embrace.

“Oh my, you’re nice, aren’t you?”

Lois patted the energies wriggling in his arms.

Woom, woom.

The four attributes trembled finely, seeming to enjoy the touch.

After several pats,

“…?”

Caught in a suffocating silence and prickly stares, Lois lifted his head.

Leaning into the gaze that wouldn’t leave him, Lois tilted his head in bewilderment.

Soon, a voice of innocent confusion spilled from him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The assembled dragons were left speechless by the pure and naive voice that did not grasp the gravity of the situation.

* * *

After confirming his attributes and leaving the Silver Lotus Castle, Lois and Genelocer headed back home.

“Then, Daddy will make you a delicious snack, so go play!”

“…Okay.”

Back at home, Lois nodded in response to Genelocer, who was looking at him with even more affection than before.

“Hmmhmm~”

“…….”

Whistling a happy tune, Genelocer walked away quite spiritedly.

He was elated for one reason.

‘My child is a genius!’

His offspring’s genius had been revealed.

What parent wouldn’t be thrilled to discover their child’s genius?

“My son, the genius! My dear son, a true genius!”

Creating a song out of this joy, Genelocer hummed away as he disappeared from view, while Lois lay down on the floor like a puppy, his belly flat on the ground.

It was the most comfortable position he had learned over the past few days.

“Hmm… Four attributes…”

Lois was born with four attributes.

Time, Space, Strength, Mind.

His potential, bearing all four unnatural attributes, was so immense it left even the ancient dragons speechless.

Yet, Lois’s expression was not exactly bright.

“Is it because of this?”

His talent could be referred to as tremendous potential in kind words, but interpreted differently, it was a disruption of the work’s balance.

In other words, he had the potential to disrupt the balance of the original work.

Thanks to this, Lois realized.

“Is that why they’re so desperate to kill me?”

Lois’s talent could solve every problem that arose in the story on his own.

If he were to survive, every crisis in the story would be resolved without any suspense.

‘Maybe that’s why the original wants to kill me off so badly.’

Of course, it was all speculation.

But even if it was speculation, Lois had to consider various possibilities.

That way, he could prepare for various contingencies.

*Sigh…*

Lois bit his lip in determination.

What good is it to have the talent to become the strongest if he might die before he has the chance to grow?

Yet, Lois didn’t dwell on despair alone.

“There’s still hope, after all.”

His talent was a crisis but also an opportunity.

If he could properly hone the abilities that impressed all the ancient dragons, his chances of survival would significantly increase.

Moreover, he was not the original Lois.

While trivial, he had 29 years of experience from a past life and knew that a crisis was looming.

Lois intended to make the most of what he had been given.

“Good. So, what should I start with?”

The lips of the little baby dragon curled into a smile, revealing two adorable teeth.

Having extraordinary talent was a good thing because it widened the range of choices before him.

“Magical arts? Martial skills?”

The art of wielding attributes, akin to magic, was known as magical arts.

The art of simultaneously managing attributes and the body was known as martial skills.

Mages and warriors were the terms for those who mastered magical and martial skills, respectively.

“Why worry about which to learn? Why not master both?”

Dragons were beings blessed with mana.

Furthermore, he was a body born with no less than four unnatural attributes.

With a bit of effort, he certainly had the potential for great achievements.

“Alright! Let’s get started!”

Lois firmed up his resolve.

He walked towards the theory books on magical and martial arts that he had obtained from Genelocer.

That’s when it happened.

“Lois, it’s snack time!”

Genelocer came carrying a large tray full of goodies.

Lois’s gaze was ensnared by the tray.

The sweet scent wafting through had saliva pooling in Lois’s mouth.

His pupils wavered despite his steely resolve moments before.

“Just eat the snack then start…”

Even Mount Geumgang is seen better after a meal.

NOTE: Korean idiom, You can’t enjoy/work on something great if you are hungry.

The mind works better on a full stomach.

Lois flapped his wings and scuttled over.

At a very rapid pace…