Seeing the quest post, Favna’s brows furrowed. She bit her thumbnail, mind racing.

According to her second elder sister, humans in the mortal world had a disturbing fondness for hunting dragons.

After all, every part of a dragon was treasure: hide for armor, blood for potions, flesh to boost strength directly.

Naturally, Favna grew wary.

For her safety, she had to uncover who posted this quest.

Using dark web intel and hacking skills from her past life, she quickly traced the IP address.

But the result shocked her even more.

The poster wasn’t far away—it was right here in Naro City!

No exaggeration: if real danger existed, Favna would’ve bolted instantly.

Her true identity as a dragon must never be exposed.

Her ID listed her as Dragonkin, and with minor disguise, she usually flew under the radar.

Still, disguises had flaws. Caution was non-negotiable.

“Need to dig deeper…”

Favna took a deep breath and followed the clues left in the post, probing the poster’s motives.

Anonymous? No problem for a hacking expert like her.

Yet the deeper she dug, the stronger the resistance became.

When she saw the firewall’s security level, she murmured in disbelief:

“Dragon Guard?!”

After triple-checking, Favna nearly packed her bags and fled on the spot.

The Dragon Guard—royal family’s elite force, wielding immense power. In her past life’s terms: the Imperial Guard.

Thankfully, she was safe in her dragon’s den. She calmed quickly.

True, the Dragon Guard was untouchable… but today she’d met a Dragon Knight Captain. That experience steadied her nerves.

“What could they possibly want with a dragon? They’re not… actually planning to cook me into soup, right?”

Staring at the quest post, a chill ran down Favna’s spine.

---

Meanwhile, Alte returned to his residence.

Unlike Favna’s dragon’s den—a chaotic junkyard—his space was bright, spacious, with a sleek modern living room vibe.

Curled on the sofa lay a red-haired girl, handheld console in hand, gaming to pass time.

Spotting Alte, she spoke up:

“Bro, didn’t you say you’d teach that foul-mouthed keyboard warrior a lesson? Drag him to camp for a three-day ‘military training tour’?”

“It’s a long story…” Alte sighed, popped a soda can, and sat beside her. “No unkempt middle-aged troll. Just a girl who seemed… decent. Too bad she was so heavily disguised I couldn’t see her face.”

“Oho~” Philo set her console down, eyes twinkling. “Bro~ Is the old tree blooming? Welcoming love’s new spring~?”

“Philo, cut it out,” Alte waved her off. “‘Old tree’? I’m twenty-one. Never had a girlfriend. Don’t be ridiculous.”

After playful bickering, Philo tilted her head. “Why so hung up on her? Sparks flying? Spill it.”

At “sparks,” Alte chuckled wryly.

“That girl was a little airheaded. Seated me in the couples’ section *and* ordered a ‘couple’s drink.’ What even was that?”

“Huh?!” Philo perked up instantly. “And then?!”

“Later… she seemed spooked by the waiter, so she—uh—‘broke up’ with me and ran.”

“Pfft!!!”

Soda shot straight out of Philo’s mouth. She rubbed her ears, blinked at Alte’s deadpan face, then sat bolt upright.

“So… my big brother got ‘dumped’ by a total stranger?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“HAHAHAHA!!!” Philo collapsed into laughter, slapping the sofa. “What rom-com plot twist is this?!”

“Sis, your laughter’s hurting my eyes.”

Alte sighed. Other girls hand out “nice guy” cards. He got a “breakup” card. Sure, she was shy—but for a loveless bachelor like him? It stung.

Once Philo calmed down, Alte asked:

“Philo, you’re Dragonkin, right?”

“Yeah? Why?”

*(Note: Alte was human; Philo, a Red Dragonkin. Not blood-related—orphans raised together. Their bond ran deeper than kin.)*

“The girl I met… seemed Dragonkin too. But…” Alte paused. “Do White Dragons have Dragonkin?”

“White Dragonkin? Probably…” Philo hedged. “Dragons are gone, but descendants are everywhere.”

“Makes sense.”

Alte nodded, scrolling through phone messages.

“Bro, any leads on real dragons yet?” Philo asked.

He set the phone down with a sigh. “Nothing.”

“Then try harder!”

“Obviously.”

“Or the title ‘Dragon Knight without a Dragon’ might stick for real!”

“Please. Don’t. Mention. That.”

Alte covered his face, the very memory too painful to bear.