Chapter 0

Species of another world.

These are races that commonly appear in fantasies.

From elves and dwarves to harpies, dragons, fairies, elementals, and more…

Creatures that you would only see in media, not in modern times.

Why am I suddenly talking about this?

Well… because I became a part of that fantasy world.

“Yoon Seo-hyun.”

“Yes.”

At the professor’s call, the gazes of those around me turned to me, whispering.

Of course, they had a reason to whisper.

Right above my head were two large, black horns, coiled like those of a ram.

That’s right.

When I came to my senses, I had turned into a dragon.

Not only that, my gender had changed as well.

Fine, I’ll just let them get away with it. Fk ’em.

In this crazy department, a returning student being made the group leader for every group assignment almost feels like a rule. There was nothing I could do about it.

At least I managed to piece together the materials the other members provided and cobbled together a decent enough paper. I corrected the strange footnotes, clarified the sources, and moved on to the PowerPoint.

As expected, it didn’t go well. I didn’t know where to start. Damn, I barely know how to make a PowerPoint, but since everyone else kept pushing it off, it was my responsibility.

With great difficulty and much trial and error, I completed the PowerPoint. I copied and pasted a previously prepared, high-quality template to make it look at least somewhat professional and improve readability before finishing it.

As soon as I uploaded the materials via KakaoTalk, the usual phrases appeared.

[Thank you so much.]

[You really worked hard! (A random crying rabbit picture)]

[One day, I’ll treat you to a meal, Leader! (Various over-the-top emojis)]

What a load of lies. It just made me feel ridiculous. At least the junior who did some thorough research could coolly and politely say “thank you” without being overly obsequious, while those who’d done absolutely nothing spouted all sorts of flowery words.

Anyway, the presentation is on me too, isn’t it.

The group assignment was about analyzing classical poetry and then finding its modern reinterpretations through movies, dramas, poems, and novels, then analyzing them. Fortunately, the task wasn’t too difficult, so I was able to finish quickly.

However, the group project didn’t end there. I had six more overlapping group assignments ahead of me. Is this even something anyone should be subjected to? I felt the urge to drop out and tried my best to ignore it.

Because of the tuition I’ve already paid and the university’s reputation, it wasn’t an option for me.

Even though I’m in the humanities, where tuition is a bit cheaper, it was the only solace.

Still, this isn’t right. Even though it’s easier than the STEM majors, six group assignments? And I’m the leader for all of them.

I wasn’t entirely friendless among my classmates, but unfortunately, group formations had been completely random.

Sure, it’s considerate to mix people up, but wouldn’t it just be easier to make it all individual assignments?

“Damn you, group assignments.”

I wanted to complain to the professors, but I lacked the guts, so I gritted my teeth and tried to finish the group assignments as quickly as possible, even though I was spewing curse words under my breath.

The presentation was a month away, but since I was already the group leader, I decided to push everyone to at least send me the papers as soon as possible.

Of course, I had a backup plan for saying such things. I’d take charge of everything —research, the paper, the PowerPoint, and the presentation itself—for all six group projects.

It was a disadvantageous move, but I had no choice.

When you try to collaborate with others on such tasks, it only drags things out unnecessarily and produces lousy results.

There you go, if you’ve got excuses, you’ve got one sacrifice. It’s obvious from the way you work — I’d rather just do it all myself.

Plus, I didn’t want to get personally entangled with these kinds of people.

The other group assignments were already providing data, so all I had to do was edit the papers and create PowerPoints, meaning I’d only lose this weekend — it would be done after that.

What did the others think? Who cares. Once I’ve completed the work and handed it over, if the presenter is chosen randomly, I’d just have to say one sentence and it’d be over.

“Read the paper and PowerPoint carefully and give the presentation. Don’t be nervous.” Once I say that, my responsibility is done. What more is there to do?

I paused working on the group assignments and went outside. It was 4 a.m. Damn. How did it get to be this time?

I needed some fresh air.

Usually, people smoke at times like these, but that didn’t apply to me.

I never started smoking, and I quit drinking because the hangovers were too severe, and it wasted too much time.

When my classmates asked how I found any fun in life, I just shrugged and said, “I find this fun.”

I had no clear career aspirations.

Me? What exactly am I going to do to make a living?

The fresh air was soothing. I looked up at the sky since it had been so long since I’d done so.

There were no stars. I was somewhat disappointed.

I wanted to see the stars, but of course, since we weren’t in the countryside, how could there be stars even at 4 a.m. in this brightly lit apartment complex?

The group work… well, it’s hard to say. If I work on it this weekend, the PowerPoint will be done, so I’ll somehow manage.

I’m tired.

I continued to think as the wind blew.

How should I finish these group works? What should I prepare next for job hunting once all the group assignments are finished?

Still, no answer came to mind.

I gazed at the sky for a long time, realizing that I shouldn’t waste more time like this.

Alright. I’ll finish the damn group assignments quickly and then watch some games or streams.

What I need right now isn’t pondering the future, but immediate rest. I need to finish this quickly.

As I thought of this and prepared to head back inside,

Suddenly, the scene brightened in front of me.

Far away, something sparkled like a brilliant star.

What… is that?

A meteor?

No… it’s not a meteor.

And that was my last memory of that day.