Seeing Johnole tremble in front of me, I felt proud of myself. It means my performance was top-notch that even an NPC thought that I was actually a terrifying white dragon.
Perhaps I should audition to be an actor? Nah.
I wanted him to not kneel and look at me because I felt uncomfortable with someone kneeling in front of me.
It was awkward, was it because it was my first time experiencing this? Maybe.
Johnole looked straight into my eyes. I could see his eyes trembling, and although he kept a forced smile, I saw that his body was full of sweat.
By the way, why didn't he stop kneeling? I was pretty sure I said that he should stand.
Him kneeling felt really awkward for me, but it was something new, I supposed.
Suppressing the smile forming on my face, I suddenly felt my stomach tighten. I knew this feeling—I was hungry.
How does one even feel hunger inside this VR game? How did they manage to replicate the hunger sensation so well?
Maybe I was really in another world...
Well, I was hungry, so I should eat first before thinking. After clearing my throat, I hesitated.
If I said, "I'm hungry," wouldn't that be unfit for a white dragon? My tone should be... ancient or something.
Thinking for a while, racking my brain as it reviewed countless fictional works, I finally spoke.
"You arrived at an excellent moment. I was growing hungry."
Johnole flinched greatly, looking at me with a scared face he couldn't control now. His body trembled more, and he slammed his head on the ground, doing a somewhat familiar dogeza.
I was slightly surprised by this reaction. I was just asking for food, what was with this reaction?
Perhaps I should clarify more.
"Tell me... do you happen to be carrying something edible—"
"PLEASE DON'T EAT MY SOUL!!"
My mouth was open when Johnole suddenly shouted while maintaining a dogeza.
Eat his soul? Why would I? How did he arrive at that conclusion? I just wanted food. I was momentarily confused.
Johnole slowly raised his head and looked at me, still trembling.
"E-edibles...?"
It seemed that Johnole finally understood what I meant. I still had no idea how he got the idea that I would eat his soul.
"Yes."
Confirming his question, I nodded. But I had to install something into his brain. He clearly interrupted me, and as a great white dragon, that was a clear disrespect.
Intensifying [Magic Aura] and exaggerating my AI voice changer, I wanted to scare him a bit.
Although he could probably kill me instantly with his level 214 stats, I still did it because right now I wasn't some level 1 human, but a legendary existence, a white dragon.
"And another thing..."
Mana wrapped the scene with my [Magic Aura], making grasses vibrate and nearby monsters flee.
My voice, exaggerated to the maximum, carried a deep magnetic coldness that vibrated the air itself.
Like a small shockwave shot out of my mouth.
"Urgh..."
Johnole suddenly vomited, his breathing ragged, and every part of his body trembled. He was sweating intensively, and I could see that he could barely maintain his consciousness.
Great reaction. I felt very satisfied, but I mustn't smile yet. Maintain my act. Don't smile...
"How dare you interrupt me earlier?"
"I-I-I-I—"
Johnole stuttered, unable to say a word due to fear. His teeth were clattering, and his mouth was starting to bubble.
At this moment, I smelled something sour. I wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled terrible. Seeing that he couldn't even answer, I thought this should be enough.
I lowered the intensity of my [Magic Aura] and adjusted my voice to normal.
"You are forgiven this time. Do not assume there will be another."
Back to the topic, I needed food. I was hungry, so do you have any, dwarf? I stared at him with greed for food, waiting for him to answer.
Johnole's body became less tense, but the trembling never subsided. He supported his body with his arms on the ground as he didn't have any strength left.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to look at me with a smile.
"I-i'm honored to be forgiven. O great existence, I do have some edibles..."
Great. Johnole, with his trembling hands, searched his bag for food. He took out cooked meat and some vegetables.
After plating them on the picnic blanket on the ground, he backed away and kneeled again.
No, perhaps he couldn't stand and could only kneel. I could see his knees trembling.
"T-this is all I have, O great existence...!"
I wondered how he got cooked meat that was still smoking from his bag. Spatial item? Probably not my business. I needed to eat.
"This will suffice."
Johnole looked at me, relieved as if he had survived death. He repeatedly hit his head on the ground as a sign of gratitude.
Is this a dwarf tradition?
"...You have my gratitude."
Thank you, dwarf, and sorry for scaring you a bit. Although it was satisfying.
"M-may I go now, O great existence?"
Well, I got what I wanted. I was really hungry right now, so he should go. It was probably fine.
"...You may go."
Johnole gave one more bow before sprinting as fast as he could. He suddenly gained the strength to sprint?
Wow, even as a level 214 player, sprinting that fast was incredible. Did I forget something?
It was probably nothing. Time to eat...
***
"Huff... Huff..."
I ran a couple of miles just to be sure. My legs were trembling from exhaustion and fear, and I supported myself on a tree I found.
"...A dragon..."
There was no doubt. A legendary existence no one thought was real was actually on this vast green field.
A field that newbie adventurers used as a training ground hid such a monster. This news should be spread for awareness.
I confirmed that he was a dragon because of his overwhelming presence and the white horn I saw on his head.
It was a dragon's horn written about in an ancient book. Anyone with knowledge would know that a horn like that symbolized a dragon.
A dragon mimicking a human, how terrible. I barely escaped death by being smart.
As for why I didn't think he was a human pretending to be a dragon? It was because of the aura he emitted. No human had that aura.
I walked hurriedly toward my destination—the capital.
I must spread this news. A dragon was roaming inside the vast green field...
I halted my steps as I remembered his sentence, "You have my gratitude."
Perhaps he wasn't a bad dragon? Should I spread the news? No. If I did, he would probably get angry and possibly destroy the entire empire.
Legends said that even the weakest dragon had the strength to destroy an entire empire.
Thinking of this, my heartbeat skipped a beat. If I spread such news and it reached his ears, then not only would I be doomed, the empire too...!
"Urgh..."
Suddenly, my head hurt. I should keep quiet for now... A dragon in the vast green field? Not my problem...
***
As I was eating the food Johnole gave me, I remembered something.
"Ah... I should've asked for directions..."
I forgot that I had been stuck here for a few hours and still hadn't found my way out. All I saw was green grass, even at the horizon.
It was getting late, the sun was setting. I'd probably sleep on the ground... Thankfully, Johnole had left a picnic blanket that I could use.
"...I see something."
While taking a bite of the cooked meat, I noticed something in the distance. On the horizon, I saw a town.
It was too small to be called a city, so it should be a town. Well, with my current appearance, I should probably never go there...
"..."
Maybe I should? This was a chance to show the awesomeness of a white dragon. It was my chance to check my performance over a large audience.
Thinking of this, my heart started to accelerate. But I calmed myself down before laying on the blanket.
"Let's think of it tomorrow."
Right now, I was waiting for the 12-hour auto log-out system. I had been here for 11 hours straight, so any moment now, I'd get logged out.
I waited for hours. I was staring at the sky, daydreaming. Soon the sun went down, the night descended, and I was staring at the blue moon along with the red moon.
While looking at the stars, I realized something.
It had been 13 hours, and there was still no automatic log-out system... This was my last confirmation, after denying this possibility for a while now...
I've confirmed it.
No way...
I actually...
"Transmigrated...?"