Chapter 7: Ice Dragon

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

【PROSTIA] Bingryong LV☐☐☐

Seven stars.

It was a rank I had never seen while playing Shadow Symphony.

The highest rank I knew was five stars, and my one black star was unknown information.

However, with seven stars, I could intuitively tell how high this being’s potential was.

The level was unknown.

Even when I was a seed, I could see the level of the Frost Drake, which was far higher than my own.

I couldn’t even guess how high that invisible level was.

On top of that, it was also called ‘Bingryong,’ which meant that it was a dragon.

Dragons are a species that reign as the top predator in any fantasy world.

I could tell how strong it was through the wyverns and drakes, which were subspecies of dragons in the game, but to me now, the real thing was overwhelmingly incomparable to those subspecies.

Run away…

The cold air from the ice cave felt even more fierce.

Each of my petals shrank, and my roots instinctively tried to dig deeper into the ground.

But I couldn’t move at all.

As if time had frozen, fear completely paralyzed me.

That being was right here.

Coming towards me.

Thump… Thump…

A huge dragon that wasn’t even big enough to fit on my detection radar was slowly approaching.

It was clearly getting closer, but I couldn’t see the ice dragon’s shape at all, as if it was covered in fog.

The level of the [Detection LV9] skill has increased.

Even with the detection level up, I still couldn’t see its shape.

It was as if the vast difference in power was blocking my vision.

Thump…

The entire ice cave resonated with the footsteps that were getting closer.

The surroundings were already in chaos.

The ice goblins tried to escape by stepping on each other, and the snow hyenas frantically clawed at the cave walls, looking for an escape route.

Frost Wolflings instinctively crouched down and trembled, and even the Flying Reindeer, who could fly, was unable to take off properly and crashed into the wall due to fear.

The ice cave was filled with the screams of the monsters who could not escape.

The sight of them biting each other just a moment ago was nowhere to be found, and only primal fear remained.

Mikel-nim…

Deep sleep.

The hundreds of years of hibernation seemed like it would last forever.

At that time, in the deepest layer of the lair condensed with extreme cold, I spent a cold and lonely time.

This scent is… a flower…?

A mysterious yet deadly, sweet yet dangerous scent brushed my nose.

The scent of a flower in this depth?

In this place where the cold of ice rejects all life, how dare flowers bloom?

The eyelids that had been frozen for a long time slowly opened, as if the vitality of the plant was reminiscent of the World Tree.

The pure white pupils shone coldly like moonlight.

“Interesting…”

Bingryong’s long neck moved gracefully.

The power of freezing that had continued for thousands of years had ruled this labyrinth.

The only living beings that could withstand that cold were monsters with the magic of ice.

There were no plants here.

However, that scent was definitely that of a flower.

And what a captivating scent it was.

A flower in the ice labyrinth.

A faint smile appeared on Bingryong’s lips.

Rather than the discomfort of waking up from a deep sleep, curiosity took precedence.

He slowly got up from his seat.

The ice crystals that had wrapped around his gigantic body shattered.

Pure white scales were revealed between the ice shards.

His wings, which seemed to be made of condensed first snow, spread out gently like snowflakes.

The ruler of this labyrinth finally began to move.

To meet a single flower.

As he ascended to the depths, Bingryong’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“It’s so noisy.”

The monsters of the depths were losing their minds and attacking each other on the way to the lower levels.

They noticed the ruler’s appearance and trembled in fear, hurriedly running away, but the end of the monsters who had been moving slowly was miserable.

“Unholy.”

One cold and elegant step.

In an instant, the temperature of the depths dropped sharply.

The monsters’ movements gradually slowed down, and in an instant, everything crystallized.

Bingryong slowly walked.

The monsters that had become crystal statues covered in blue light fell one by one like frost flowers.

Their traces disappeared into sparkling ice dust in the cold air.

The lower level was the same!

This time, it was the path leading to the middle level.

A fight between monsters who had lost their senses.

Those who ran away and those who couldn’t.

The latter were instantly trapped in a blue ice cave and faced eternal silence.

Quiet steps.

Bingryong advanced as if moonlight was passing by, his pure white scales sparkling.

With each step, the frenzied battlefield instantly transformed into a cold crystal garden.

“To call for this level of madness…”

A smile appeared on Bingryong’s lips.

This small change that had come after thousands of years was enough to break the boring time.

Finally, he reached the middle level.

And there, he walked to the source of the sweet scent of flowers and the pungent scent of blood.

Dozens of monster corpses were strewn across the cavern he entered.

And in the center of it all, a single flower was blooming.

This is…

A single flower was burning red in the blue light of the ice cave.

The flower blooming at the tip of the pitch-black stem looked like a bloody moon.

The red petals shone more brilliantly than jewels, and the long purple stamens showed off their beauty.

“Pretty…”

It was the moment when the girl’s heart that had been sleeping inside Bingryong woke up.

What was surprising was what happened after that.

Although very faint, he felt a divine power from the flower.

This is… definitely Mikel?

Even in Bingryong’s eyes, who had lived for thousands of years, this was the first time he had seen such a unique being.

A small monster with Mikel’s divine power.

An impossible life force blooming in the realm of cold ice.

And most of all…

That captivating scent and beautiful appearance.

Bingryong’s gaze shone with interest at the flower.

No being that had invaded this labyrinth had ever stimulated his curiosity like this.

“I always thought it was embarrassing when Nice showed off his subordinates.”

A beautiful smile appeared on the ruler’s lips.

At that moment, a splendid light like white starlight enveloped Bingryong’s huge body.

The pure white scales broke apart one by one and scattered into sparkling silver powder.

The huge wings gently crumbled like snowflakes, and the long neck and tail disappeared as if melting into the starlight.

When the light faded, a woman stood in her place.

Her endless silver hair sparkled like ice crystals, and her pure white skin was as pristine as the first snow.

The cold elegance that had been seen in Bingryong’s appearance was still there, but what stood out even more was her indescribable beauty.

The hem of her silver dress, resembling moonlight, fluttered slightly in the invisible wind.

Her pure white eyes shone softly toward the flowers.

She walked slowly.

Although she walked barefoot, she moved gracefully on the cold ice floor as if she were walking on clouds.

Frost flowers bloomed and disappeared with each step she took.

The silver-haired woman bowed her knees gracefully, leveling herself with the flowers.

Her white fingers gently stroked the petals.

The petals trembled slightly under her cold but gentle touch.

“Really… beautiful…”

Her voice was as clear and elegant as ice crystals breaking apart.

“A flower blooming in a place like this? And how did you get Mikel’s divine power?”

With a faint smile on her lips, she continued speaking naturally as if she were talking to an old friend.

“I am Prostia. I am the ruler of this Sia Calt.”

She looked at the flowers as if lost in thought for a moment, then said as if she had made up her mind.

“You are now mine.”

Her tone was firm but gentle.

It was a command that left no room for refusal, but there was a strange affection in it.

The excitement of discovering a precious treasure that she had been searching for for a long time sparkled in her cold eyes.

Bingryong’s gaze turned to me.

‘Please… please… save me…’

Because of his sensing ability, he could not avoid my gaze.

The giant ice dragon that was nearby was now clearly visible, and its overwhelming presence reminded me at every moment that I could neither run away nor hide.

But then suddenly, the surroundings brightened.

“Huh… Huh…?”

An unbelievable sight unfolded.

The giant ice dragon disappeared, and in its place stood a woman.

Skin as white as the first snow, silver hair that continued endlessly, and pure white eyes…

It was a perfect beauty that seemed not to exist in this world.

“Wow… She can be so beautiful…”

For a moment, my dream of cataclysm flashed before my eyes.

But soon I realized reality.

“What are you thinking! Ahh… Please save me…”

The silver-haired woman slowly approached.

Her gait was full of the majesty of the ice dragon, but strangely, I felt no hostility at all.

Rather… Interest? Curiosity?

She elegantly bent her knees to match my height.

Her white fingers gently brushed the flower petals.

Although cold, her touch contained a strange affection.

“Huh…? Could this be… Selection…?”

I remembered a video I saw on the internet a long time ago where stray cats met good butlers and started new lives.

Was this how the cats felt at that time?

Somehow, this situation felt similar.

‘By any chance… Butler…?’

At that moment, she opened her mouth.

“0000000__”

“Huh…?”

A different world language!

It was automatically translated when I played the game…

Huh?

This is a different world after all?