episode_0024

The orc boxer, Liang Wei, was quietly deported back to China.

Judging by the way the cops glared at him like they wanted to kill him, he probably wasn’t just some guy who’d killed a few people.

Maybe I should’ve hit him harder?

Either way, contrary to my expectation that this mess would take a long time to resolve, it was sorted out surprisingly quickly.

Agent Choi Jeong-ho even thanked me for saving unnecessary time and manpower…

Thanks to that, the reward money was pretty hefty.

I have no idea how they calculate these compensations.

Well… I guess it’s fair to assume that whatever they saved on manpower got passed to me as an incentive.

Anyway, the job ended earlier than expected, and I got paid on top of it—so naturally, I was in a good mood. But the biggest win of all was exchanging contact info with the unbearably adorable Choi Sia.

It wasn’t like I was looking at her from a romantic perspective—more like how one would admire an adorable small animal.

Sia said she was heading back to California. Something about needing to take care of trees there.

Apparently, the giant sequoia from last time had finally broken 100 meters.

…Wasn’t the maximum height for those supposed to be 85 meters?

According to her, she was planning to plant a World Tree seed in that 100-meter-tall giant sequoia.

When I asked what the hell a World Tree was, she explained it literally meant a tree for the entire world.

She claimed that if the tree grew with the World Tree seed inside, it would eventually become a colossal tree nearly 500 meters tall.

100 meters was already an incomprehensible scale, but 500 meters…?

Was she planning to build an elf village or something?

“Actually, I’m planning to create a village for mutants living in the U.S. Of course, only the ones with relatively harmless tendencies will be allowed in.”

“Wouldn’t you need the governor’s permission for that?”

“They said they’d allow it.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah. Apparently, they’re eyeing the tourism industry and specialty products cultivated from the World Tree. Considering how rare it’ll be, it’d probably be the most unique village in the world, so they approved it right away.”

“But where did you even get that seed from?”

“A few months after my mutation, a sprout popped up on top of my head. After a week of growing, it suddenly bore this huge fruit. Turns out, that fruit contained the World Tree seed.”

“…That’s even more dramatic than my story.”

“At least I don’t have wings or a tail, and I can’t control fire or lightning.”

“Honestly, that seems way more impressive than fire and lightning.”

“…Really? Also, aren’t you touching my cheeks for a bit too long?”

“Sorry. They’re just too addicting…”

“Guess that means my cheeks are charming! Mmm… is that a good thing?”

“Of course. Being effortlessly likable is an incredible weapon to have.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

“What were you like before you mutated?”

“Uh… At least I was taller back then. By a lot.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I was around 170 cm, and my figure wasn’t bad either. But overnight, I ended up like this…”

She seemed a little down about it.

Her once feminine body had completely transformed into this petite, almost childlike frame.

“That’s why I envy you, Seohyun.”

“I mean, I went from male to female… But honestly, I don’t feel much different.”

“Ah, right. I guess I was just being ungrateful.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m used to it by now. So, you’re heading back to California soon?”

“Yep. Gotta take care of the World Tree. It keeps demanding fertile soil… Who knew a tree could have the potential to become a World Tree?”

“Ahaha! I really enjoyed the post you made on the community.”

“Oh, in that case… Would it be okay if I posted about meeting you this time?”

“Sure, go ahead. My personal info’s already out there anyway after that interview with the reporter…”

“Oh? What interview?”

“Just stuff about becoming a mutant, personal thoughts, stories, that kind of thing…? It’ll be up in the Korea Daily soon.”

“I’ll check it out. Well, I should get going now. If you ever visit the U.S., I’ll come pick you up!”

“Thanks. Take care.”

“It was fun!”

After exchanging those trivial, lighthearted words, we said our goodbyes.

Ah, I miss her. I wanna squeeze those squishy cheeks again.

Since becoming a dragon, I haven’t felt many strong desires, but that one’s pretty tempting.

Hope I get to see her again.

Golden weekends. I was reading a post Choi Sia had made on the community.

[Met the famous Dragon-nim from the forums!]

Had some business in Korea this time and coincidentally ran into Dragon-type mutant-nim!

At first, I was so, so, so scared, but fortunately, they treated me well so I could relax a bit…

But y’all.

Guess what?

Elves literally shake like crazy in front of dragons.

I’ve never been that terrified meeting someone before—not even when I met the governor of California. The intimidation was on another level. It was like being a helpless mouse in front of a cat.

Must be some kind of innate racial fear or something…?

-You met that Dragon-type mutant?!

-YES!!!! They were super nice!!!

-What did a high elf and a dragon even do together?

-Just chatted at a cafe! Oh, and something fun’s gonna happen in California soon!

-Something fun? Like what?

-You’ll find out when it happens LOL Just wait for it~

-The way she’s grinning makes me think it’s something weird… What about that giant sequoia? How’s it doing?

-It’s already over 100 meters tall now…

-OMG

Honestly, she seemed pretty different online versus in person.

On the forums, she talks like a mischievous kid, but in reality, she’s way more mature—the gap was kinda huge.

Next came the stuff about my interview.

[Dragon-type mutant interview—did it drop yet????]

Yeah, so here it is LOL

Turns out, they’re just a decent college student who somehow got mental stability as part of their racial traits?

-Soooo jealous WTF. Mental stability is easily the most important trait for mutants;;

-But it makes sense. If they didn’t have that composure, Seoul would’ve been a sea of flames by now.

-Facts

-Deadass would’ve happened

-Now that I think about it, most mutants strong enough to cause disasters seem to have some mental buffs, right?

-True? And their pre-mutation tendencies get amplified too.

-FR?

-Look at Minotaur LOL Not to stereotype, but that dude had seven prior convictions before mutation. Total psycho. Prosecutor’s office confirmed it.

-Woah, wild;;

-Even the high elf in the post above seems to have plant manipulation—which could easily be a disaster LOL Imagine mountains just rolling around.

-Now that you mention it, that’s terrifying;;

Reading through the comments after someone shared my interview, some pretty plausible theories popped up. Even I had been thinking along those lines.

Maybe the reason I gained such immense power without losing my sanity was to minimize chaos in society.

Or maybe my petty bourgeois mentality just happened to shine at the right time.

Not sure… But if my attention-seeking tendencies had manifested in a bad way, things could’ve gotten really ugly.

Just then, my younger sister poked me.

“I saw your interview.”

“You read it?”

“Yeah. Surprisingly normal answers for you. Did you bribe the reporter or something?”

“With what money?”

“You just got another payout, didn’t you? For taking down some mutant.”

“That was after the interview… I just answered sincerely.”

“Hmm. For now, let’s not tell my department you’re my sister.”

“Why?”

“Why? If they found out, the Business majors would be swarming you. You really wanna deal with that?”

“…No.”

“Exactly. So we’re keeping it quiet. See? Your sister’s got your back.”

“How generous of you. Pretty sure you just don’t wanna deal with the hassle.”

“That too. Being related to a celebrity is exhausting.”

“Well, if you do tell anyone, behave. Don’t drag me into your messes.”

“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”

“…Fair point.”

“The stuff you’ve done already is on a whole other level. Try to rein it in a little. People keep asking why you changed so much after mutation.”

Tell me about it. I’d love to know the answer too.

I sighed.

-…This is Choi Jeong-ho.

“Ah, yes. This is Jinha. Seo Jinha.”

-What can I do for you?

“Actually… Could you arrange a meeting with the Dragon-type mutant?”

-Tell me the details. I can’t introduce them to just anyone.

“Wow, so cold. Is that how you treat me?”

-Even for you, Jinha, I can’t make decisions regarding Seohyun lightly.

“Ahaha. I suppose not. Wouldn’t want to accidentally cause a disaster. Don’t worry—I just wanna make some clothes. I mean, I am an Arachne-type mutant. After seeing those wings of hers—oh, Seohyun’s her name, right?—inspiration just flooded in. Thought she’d make a great model for my shop.”

-I’ll ask her. But no pressure. If she gets angry, Seoul’s flying away.

“Pfft, I’m not trying to die here. Anyway, I’ll be waiting for good news.”

-…I’ll also report this to the Assemblyman.

“Go ahead. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong. Dad won’t mind.”

-I know, but protocol is protocol.

“God, you’re so by the book. Lighten up.”

-You, of all people, know what happens when we cut corners.

“…Heh. True. Anyway, take care.”

Jinha ended the call. The Dragon-type mutant, Yoon Seohyun.

“This’ll be fun. What kinda outfit should I make…?”

She still remembered the flutter she felt when she first saw the photo of those majestic wings unfurled.