My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon

Author: Asternkm

“Alright, now I’ll explain the rules for playing in the water!”

Eunsae spoke clearly, like a preschool teacher. With her crisp voice, Byeol and Bomi perked up and listened intently.

“First, don’t splash water on each other too much.”

“…Too much!”

Without being told, Byeol repeated after Eunsae. She bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing at the baby bird-like cuteness.

“Second, if your legs fall asleep or you feel cold, say something right away.”

“Say something!”

Beep beep!

“Third, have lots and lots of fun.”

“Have fun!”

Beep!

Before they knew it, Bomi was echoing Eunsae too, just like Byeol. As if they were about to jump right in, Eunsae held the kids back and led them through a warm-up.

“Stretch your arms up! One, two. One, two.”

They wiggled along to Eunsae’s chant. Byeol shook his short arms up and down, and Bomi stretched and bent her front legs.

“Leg exercise! Sit down, stand up. Sit down, stand up.”

It must have been fun copying Eunsae, because Byeol burst into giggles. Bomi hummed a beep-beep song and mimicked the moves.

The hunters guarding Eunsae’s house smiled fondly. Especially Seo Horang, the youngest of the security team, who couldn’t hide how smitten he was.

Once the warm-up was over, Eunsae brought out the tubes she had already blown up.

“Here, you wear the tube around your waist like this. Then you can float on the water.”

“Whoa. That’s so cool. You float without even using magic?”

“Yep. Just like your rubber ducky.”

Hm? Park Doyoon’s ears picked up on a strange word. Did she just say magic? And wasn’t Byeol the dragon beast of Hunter Yoo Eunsae who debuted not long ago?

Park Doyoon checked to see if anyone else noticed. But no one seemed to care.

His expression shifted. Magic, huh… Something felt off, though he couldn’t figure out what.

Well, people say “magic” in casual ways all the time. He ignored the uneasiness and focused on the mission.

“Let’s go in now!”

Eunsae lifted the long-awaiting Byeol and Bomi and placed them in the pool.

At first, the kids just floated around, unsure what was so fun about it. But when Eunsae splashed some water, they started happily paddling and splashing.

“Blegh, I drank water.”

Beep-beep!

Bomi instinctively started swimming. As she kicked her four legs strongly and moved forward, little flowers bloomed gently around the pool.

It seemed to reflect how Bomi was feeling.

Byeol followed Bomi and tried frog-style swimming. But the tube got in the way and made it tricky.

“Nuna? Nuna?”

Byeol kept calling for Eunsae. She bit her lip again to keep from laughing.

“Byeol, do it like this.”

Eunsae gently pushed the tube. Getting the hang of it, Byeol floated freely around the pool.

“Nuna! Byeol can do this too!”

Beep!

Not to be outdone, Bomi moved around too. Water splashed everywhere.

“Good job. You’re both doing great for your first time, Byeol and Bomi.”

Eunsae waved at the kids as they played energetically.

Should I take them to a water park next time? A big lazy river would be even more fun. Just thinking about it made her smile without realizing.

As Byeol and Bomi played excitedly, Hwangsae and Baekhap, who had been watching nearby, quietly approached. Eunsae noticed them staring at the pool.

“Do you guys want to play in the water too?”

Caw, caw!

Ssshh.

The pool was big enough for them. With their enthusiastic response, Eunsae smiled and waved, and Hwangsae and Baekhap jumped in with a splash.

“You splashed me! Hwangsae, you!”

Caw!

Byeol and Hwangsae splashed each other back and forth. Baekhap swam gracefully on the surface.

Watching the kids have so much fun, Eunsae checked the time. About 30 minutes had passed. That’s usually when their bodies start to feel cold.

“Break time! Let’s come out of the water for a bit and warm up in the sun!”

Eunsae pulled Byeol and the beasts out of the pool one by one. She wrapped them in towels and shook off the water.

Then a towel landed on her shoulder.

“You’re wet too.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Belquior nodded casually. When he appeared, the relaxed hunters watching Eunsae and the kids immediately tensed up.

He was known as “Yoo Eunsae’s man” in the public eye. Seeing him in person left them stunned at first.

He was said to be a magic-ability hunter, but it was impossible to guess how strong he was.

There weren’t many magic-ability hunters to begin with, so there was nothing to compare him to. And he gave off an unapproachable vibe.

Plus, his physical condition was beyond that of most swordmasters or martial hunters.

How is that a mage…?

No one present felt confident they could take him on and win.

And Yoo Eunsae, an S-rank hunter herself, treated him with caution. That could only mean one thing:

He must be S-rank, or even higher.

It was an instinctive feeling. But seriously, why did Guild Leader Han Wooree station them here when someone like him was around?

Swallowing nervously, the hunters kept a close eye on Belquior.

Belquior glanced around. Human suspicion didn’t matter to him. But there was one thing that caught his attention.

That man seems to have noticed something about Byeol.

His golden eyes lingered briefly on Park Doyoon.

Belquior strengthened the suggestion spell. So that no one would notice Byeol and the baby dragon were the same, or find it odd if Byeol acted strange.

It was all for Eunsae’s sake. He knew she constantly worried that Byeol’s secret might be discovered, and he wanted to ease her mind.

There wasn’t a single human hunter who could resist a dragon’s suggestion. Not even with a mental defense skill.

“Alright, once you’re all warmed up, let’s get back in and play some more!”

As Eunsae beamed and the kids cheered, Belquior’s eyes softened just a little.

****

“Hmm…”

“……”

Baek Chanmin, Guildmaster of the Gold Star Guild, stared skeptically at the man Yuk Jaehee had brought in.

With a uniquely shaped greatsword strapped to his back and dressed in black from head to toe, the man remained calm even in front of Baek Chanmin—who was known as the White Lion.

He’d shown up out of nowhere saying he wanted to meet him, and though Baek Chanmin was initially suspicious, the man’s unusual presence piqued his interest. Popping a lollipop into his mouth, Baek Chanmin asked,

“What did you say your name was?”

“Cheon Changhyun.”

“Right, Hunter Cheon Changhyun. You’re the one who cleared the hidden dungeon the Hunter Association was covering up and released mana stones to the market?”

Cheon Changhyun, who had remained silent, finally opened his mouth. His voice was deep and gravelly.

“Yes. That was me.”

“Because of you, our guild suffered quite a loss. So what makes you think you’ve got the nerve to come here?”

Baek Chanmin fixed Cheon Changhyun with a hard stare.

The sharp pressure weighed heavily on Cheon Changhyun’s shoulders. Even though he had shown weakness to Namgung Sol of Dochun during the Ranking Battle, Baek Chanmin was still the head of a guild on par with Dochun—and an S-rank hunter himself.

Anyone else would’ve crumbled under the pressure and fallen to their knees.

But Cheon Changhyun didn’t flinch. In fact, he met Baek Chanmin’s gaze head-on and shot back a question of his own.

“Weren’t you the one looking for me?”

“……”

“You hit and run like you know what’s happening inside Gold Star. You expose the Hunter Association’s corruption. I figured you’d be curious about who I really am.”

This guy, huh? Baek Chanmin gave a dry chuckle.

It was true, he had been curious. But the way this young punk talked like he had him all figured out rubbed him the wrong way.

He crunched down on the lollipop in his mouth.

“What do you want?”

“Let me join the Gold Star Guild.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Don’t you want to beat Dochun?”

At the direct question, Baek Chanmin’s eyebrow twitched. Dochun was his sore spot. And this guy—did he know that and say it anyway?

Looking into Baek Chanmin’s piercing eyes, Cheon Changhyun replied in a steady but confident voice.

“I can make that happen for you.”

“With what skills? I don’t know anything about you. So what reason do I have to trust you?”

“The recipe for high-grade potions. I’ll give it to you.”

“…What?”

High-grade potion recipe? That was the first he’d heard of such a thing. Baek Chanmin’s face stiffened at the unfamiliar intel.

In Korea, high-ranking healers were extremely rare. And the few that existed were often scouted abroad.

As a result, most healing was done through potions. But potions had low drop rates compared to other items—especially elixirs, which offered ultimate recovery.

Low-grade potions were still being circulated, but high-grade ones were nonexistent.

If it were possible to artificially produce high-grade potions, it would mark a major turning point in Hunter history.

“If I can earn you back your losses—or even more—would that be enough?”

Cheon Changhyun said this with eyes as dark and deep as the abyss.

“In return, I’ll need proper compensation for what I bring to the table.”

His demeanor was bold, like someone demanding what was rightfully his.

“…Pftt, hahaha!”

Baek Chanmin burst out laughing.

“I don’t hate guys like you.”

Cocky, but confident in what he had. And he knew how to use it well.

It had been a long time since he saw someone grab a sword and swing it with real purpose.

“Alright. Go ahead—run wild.”