Seeing Johnole tremble in front of me, I felt proud of myself.
It meant my performance was top-notch, so good that even an NPC thought I was an actual terrifying white dragon.
Perhaps I should audition to be an actor?
Nah.
I had told him not to kneel and to look at me because I felt uncomfortable with someone kneeling in front of me.
It was awkward.
Maybe because it was my first time experiencing it?
Johnole looked straight into my eyes.
I could see his eyes trembling, and although he kept a forced smile, his body was drenched in sweat.
By the way, why hadn't he stopped kneeling?
I was pretty sure I had told him to stand.
It felt really awkward, but it was something new, I supposed.
While I was suppressing the smile forming on my face, my stomach suddenly tightened.
I knew this feeling.
I was hungry.
How does one even feel hunger inside a VR game?
How did they replicate the sensation so well?
Maybe I really was in another world...
Well, I was hungry, so I should eat first and think later.
After clearing my throat, I hesitated.
If I said, "I'm hungry," wouldn't that be unfitting for a white dragon?
My tone should be... ancient or something.
I thought for a while, racking my brain as it reviewed countless fictional works, and finally spoke.
"You arrived at an excellent moment. I was growing hungry."
Johnole flinched violently and looked at me with a scared face he could no longer control.
His body trembled even more, and he slammed his head on the ground in 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.
"Tell me... do you happen to be carrying something edible—"
"PLEASE DON'T EAT MY SOUL!!"
My mouth was still open when Johnole suddenly shouted from his dogeza.
Eat his soul?
Why would I?
How did he arrive at that conclusion?
I just wanted food.
I was confused for a moment.
Johnole slowly raised his head and looked at me, still trembling.
"E-edibles...?"
It seemed he finally understood what I meant.
I still had no idea how he got the idea that I would eat his soul.
"Yes."
I confirmed with a nod.
But there was something I had to install in his brain.
He had clearly interrupted me, and for a great white dragon, that was disrespect.
I intensified [Magical Aura] and exaggerated my AI voice changer.
I wanted to scare him a bit.
He could probably kill me instantly with his level 214 stats, but right now I wasn't some level 1 human.
I was a legendary existence, a white dragon.
"And another thing..."
Mana wrapped the scene, making the grass vibrate and sending nearby monsters fleeing.
My voice, exaggerated to the maximum, carried a deep, magnetic coldness that vibrated the air itself, like a small shockwave shooting out of my mouth.
"Urgh..."
Johnole suddenly vomited.
His breathing was ragged, and every part of his body trembled.
He was sweating heavily, barely maintaining consciousness.
Great reaction.
I felt very satisfied, but I mustn't smile yet.
Maintain the act.
Don't smile...
"How dare you interrupt me earlier?"
"I-I-I-I—"
Johnole stuttered, unable to say a word.
His teeth were clattering, and his mouth was starting to bubble.
At that moment, I smelled something sour.
I wasn't sure what it was, but it smelled terrible.
Seeing that he couldn't even answer, I decided this was enough.
I lowered the intensity of [Magical Aura] and adjusted my voice back 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 did he have any, dwarf?
I stared at him greedily, waiting for his answer.
Johnole's body relaxed a little, but the trembling never subsided.
He supported himself with his arms on the ground, as he had no 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.
With trembling hands, Johnole searched his bag.
He took out cooked meat and some vegetables, plated them on a picnic blanket on the ground, and backed away to kneel again.
No, perhaps he couldn't stand and could only kneel.
I could see his knees shaking.
"T-this is all I have, O great existence...!"
Then, as if he was afraid the food alone wouldn't be enough to save his life, he took out a heavy pouch and placed it beside the blanket with both hands.
"A-and this is a humble tribute! Please accept it!"
The pouch clinked.
It was full of coins.
I wondered how he got cooked meat that was still steaming from his bag.
A spatial item?
Probably not my business.
And the money?
Well... I was broke and homeless, so refusing would be a waste.
"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, and I was really hungry, so he should go.
It was probably fine.
"...You may go."
Johnole gave one more bow before sprinting away as fast as he could.
He suddenly had 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 in 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 was sure he was a dragon because of his overwhelming presence and the white horn I saw on his head.
It was the dragon's horn described 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 never thought he might be a human pretending to be a dragon?
It was because of the aura he emitted.
No human had an aura like that.
I hurried toward my destination, the capital.
I must spread this news.
A dragon was roaming the vast green field...
I halted 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 even the weakest dragon had the strength to destroy an empire.
Thinking of this, my heart skipped a beat.
If I spread such news and it reached his ears, not only would I be doomed, the empire would be too...!
"Urgh..."
Suddenly, my head hurt.
I should keep quiet for now...
A dragon in the vast green field?
Not my problem...
***
As I ate the food Johnole gave me, I remembered something.
"Ah... I should've asked for directions..."
I had been stuck here for a few hours and still hadn't found my way out.
All I could see was green grass, even at the horizon.
It was getting late, and the sun was setting.
I'd probably sleep on the ground.
Thankfully, Johnole had left a picnic blanket I could use.
"...I see something."
While taking a bite of the cooked meat, I noticed something in the distance.
On the horizon, there was a town.
It looked 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.
A chance to check my performance in front of a large audience.
My heart started to race at the thought, but I calmed myself down and lay on the blanket.
"Let's think about it tomorrow."
Right now, I was waiting for the 12-hour auto log-out.
I had been here for 11 hours straight, so any moment now, I'd be logged out.
I waited for hours, staring at the sky and daydreaming.
Soon the sun went down and night fell, and I found myself staring at the blue moon and the red moon.
While looking at the stars, I realized something.
It had been 13 hours, and there was still no automatic log-out.
This was my last confirmation, after denying the possibility for a while now.
I've confirmed it.
No way...
I actually...
"Transmigrated...?"